Chani Lifshitz: It Can Happen Anywhere. Even in Kathmandu

Even Kathmandu.

This city, which provides so many moments of magic, knows how to hide dark secrets.

There are the bustling markets, the snowy mountains, the ancient temples. But...

There are also illegal parties, drugs, and people who exploit the innocence of young visitors who came here to breathe mountain air and seek experiences.

She came into the Chabad House shaking.

She was beautiful and tall. Her eyes were beautiful, but there was no light in them.

She sat in the corner without saying a word, just trembling.

Without stopping.

I approached her.

"What happened?" I asked her gently.

She looked up at me, and her eyes were empty.

"I was at a party. They took me... they were new friends... I didn't know what they really wanted."

She took a moment to breathe but forgot how to do it.

She had no air to breathe.

It simply wasn't there.

She continued to speak, in a choked and confused voice, about what happened to her the previous night: Some Nepali men invited her to join their local festival. They told her it would be fun. They opened a new place right near Thamel, with good music.

She went with them.

At first, she saw no problem.

They were very nice to her, and she decided she would open up on this trip.

When the music started to get louder, she took what they offered her.

She didn't understand that it wasn't just drugs, but also the disaster about to happen to her...

She said she started to feel strange sensations in her body. Her eyes rolled in their sockets. Her sense of time and place faded. She felt like she was melting into a black hole.

It wasn't clear to her what exactly happened in the hours that passed.

She didn't remember how she got to the small apartment with the blankets on the wall, but she did understand, through the gaps in her memory, that she was under the complete control of those men.

"Chani, I didn't know how to stop it!" she sobbed. "They told me it would be fun. I don't remember enough, and what I do remember is bad. Really bad. What did they do to me?!"

My heart went out to her.

Sometimes this world can be so cruel...

I promised her she wasn't alone in this.

We will go step by step.

At her pace.

We will do everything to help her and be with her!

I won't tell about all the actions we took. They included dedicated medical care from Dr. Bina, my wonderful Nepali doctor. She was amazing and so sensitive.

Then there was the dilemma of whether to go to the police.

The fear paralyzed her – "What if they find me?", she asked me over and over again.

"You are not alone in this," I promised her, "and if you choose to speak, it's not just for yourself. It's an opportunity to prevent others from going through what you did."

When she finally decided to go to the police and tell her story, I knew how hard it was for her. She was shaking with fear, but her eyes showed rare courage.

We went together to the police station, with me holding her hand all the way.

She told everything she remembered. The voices, the faces, the area.

The investigators listened attentively, then told us that it wasn't an isolated case. For months, they had been trying to gather evidence against a group of youths who exploit foreign travelers at local parties.

Her words became the thread that the police investigators needed. With the information she provided, they managed to locate a small apartment in one of Thamel's alleys.

What they found there was shocking! Incriminating materials, lists of travelers who were under surveillance, and even hidden cameras documenting what happened.

The news about the raid spread quickly. The Chabad House became a meeting point for travelers from all over the world who came to share similar experiences, people who had been afraid to speak about it until now...

She returned to her country a month ago.

She has a warm family that keeps in touch with us all the time.

When I told her about the raid and the capture of some of those responsible, tears flowed from her eyes.

"Is it really over?", she asked.

"It's not just over", I told her.

"Because of you, it won't happen to someone else. You saved lives!"

"Thank you for not letting me run away, thank you for letting me see that I can be strong – not just for myself, but also for others," she told me this morning when we spoke on the phone.

"I know there are other girls who come on trips being as innocent as I was," she added quietly.

"I'm asking you – keep watch over them. Tell them what happened to me, warn them. Don't let them fall into the wrong hands."

So here it is. I'm telling you.

That it can happen anywhere.

Even in Kathmandu. This city, which provides so many moments of magic, knows how to hide dark secrets...